Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1940. AN ATTACK ON GREECE?

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 October 1940, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1940. AN ATTACK ON GREECE?

» TENSION between Italy and Greece, after assuming for a time a hectic and menacing aspect, was reported some weeks ago to have eased considerably. It has revived again,liowevei, according to vesterday’s news of the massing of Italian tioops and tank's on the Albanian-Greek frontier and of active Greek preparations for defence. Under Mussolini’s leadership, Italy has specialised in. attacking small countries whom she can hope to overrun and enslave, but it is by no means clear that either Italy or her senior partner could hope to gain much by an attack on Greece at the present stage. So far as Germany is concerned —and it seems altogether unlikely that Italy wifi be permitted to take any action in the Balkans save under German direction and control—an attack on Greece would appear to have little purpose or value unless it were intended to be part of a campaign aiming at the establishment of undisputed control over the whole Balkan Peninsula. This, however, would imply either that Germany counts upon Russian inaction, which would seem to be taking a great deal for granted, or is prepared to force a conflict with the Soviet, as well as with Turkey, who, with Greece, would be given •whatever aid Britain is able to afford. A great deal depends meantime on the attitude of the Soviet. Having secured Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, Stalin and his colleagues have been content thus far passively to watch Nazi Germany take over control of an enlarged Hungary and of what is left of Rumania. , This means that for practical purposes the frontiers of tjie Reich have been extended into the northern Balkans, but it is not easily to be believed that the Soviet would unresistingly allow these frontiers to be extended to the Mediterranean. ‘With the Balkan States reduced to the condition of helpless pawns, a vital line of contest and of possible conflict is drawn between Germany and Russia. Tn all the actual developments that have taken place, Italy’s position has become that of the unregarded hanger-on. Mussolini not long ago was making a great parade of championing Hungarian claims, but' Hungary today, and the Rumanian remnant, are virtually German provinces and Italy has been thrust aside. In the considerable extent to which Axis action has taken effect in the Balkans, the outcome has been the establishment of German domination and for Italy this is a disastrous state of affairs. As Mr R. 11. Markham wrote recently in the “Christian Science Monitor”: — Signor Mussolini’s country is not self-sustaining. It requires large quantities of indispensable imports, of which 86 per cent come via the Mediterranean. Of its oil, for instance, 70 per cent comes via the Eastern Mediterranean. Italy’s maintenance of its East African possessions also requires mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean. So, Germany’s domination of the Balkans would place Italy in a very dependent position. It would make Benito Mussolini more than ever a “prisoner of the Mediterranean.” It is to that result —a most unhappy anti-climax from Italy’s standpoint—that all the action meantime taken by the Axis in the Balkans has thus far tended. With some two million nationals scattered through South-Eastern Europe, Germany is gathering in the trade of the Balkans and Italy is left lamenting. She has every reason to fear that the same trend will continue in any further action in which she may be constrained to combine with Germany in the Balkans. ■ One of her fears is {hat Germany may presently advance from Hungary into the Dalmatian territories around the Adriatic coast, which formerly were included in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and now form part of Yugoslavia. As the writer just quoted observes: “Mussolini, is giving his key to a rival —and what a rival!” It is against this background that Italy is now again showing signs of meditating an attack on Greece. Her motive, apart from the desire to annex and plunder Greece, may be to make a closer approach to her bases in the Dodecanese Islands, from which she is cut off meantime by the British Navy. It has been reported recently from Athens that the situation in these islands is extremely precarious, especially since they have been bombarded by the British fleet, as they were again a few days ago. The Italians, it is stated, are unable to send food or ammunition to the Dodecanese group and are making wholesale requisitions of food from the native population, whose plight is already desperate. That Italy has any prospect of improving on this state of affairs is far from clear. Even if she overcame Greek resistance, she would still have to reckon with the British Navy. Moreover, all experience to date goes to show that the fruits of any success she contrived to achieve would be annexed by her. Axis partner.